Video Interviews: “Voices on 60 German-Turkish years” as part of the exhibition “We are from here: Turkish-German life in 1990. Photographs by Ergun Çağatay”

Content

In 2021, documentary video interviews were created especially for this project, in which personalities of different generations living in Germany who have shaped the public discourse on the topic of Turkish migration in a special way have their say.

The collection also includes four female perspectives. We spoke with journalist Aslı Sevindim, sociologist Necla Kelek, former professional footballer Tuğba Tekkal, and musician Derya Yıldırım.

Methodology

Ergun Çağatay’s photographs do not stand alone. They build a bridge between the past and the present, serving as a starting point for a contemporary dialogue on belonging, identity, and notions of home. More than three decades after they were taken, the photographs reveal that questions of visibility, representation, and social participation among people of Turkish descent in Germany remain highly relevant today.

Created especially for the exhibition, eight documentary video portraits extend this dialogue into the present. They feature eight people living in Germany from different generations and professional backgrounds who have each shaped the public discourse on German-Turkish migration in significant ways.

The semi-structured video interviews explore topics such as the recognition and acceptance of migrant experiences and ways of life, as well as the complexity and multidimensional nature of migration, belonging, and identity. By connecting historical perspectives with personal narratives, they illustrate how individual life stories are intertwined with broader social developments. In doing so, they make both history and personal experiences tangible and give voice to diverse perspectives.